Rêv'Elles: Maslaha in Paris

The Need

Statistics relating to educational attainment, employment and occupation illustrate that young people from disadvantaged city areas (and in particular the suburbs) face striking inequality of opportunity:

The unemployment levels of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years old in ZUS (Sensitive Urban Areas) are at 40.4%, compared with 21.6% in other areas.

37.1% of college students living in ZUS are at least one year behind at school, compared to 20.7% in other areas.

22.8% of Year 10 students living in ZUS continue with further education and academic subjects, compared to 43.8% in other areas.

Focus on young women in ZUS:

Girls educated in ZUS have less success in the first year of the French GSCE equivalent compared to those from other areas. Following this, in the second year if the majority of girls living in ZUS follow the general curriculum, only 1 in 4 will take professional courses compared to 4 in 10 in other areas.

Only 14.8% of women older than the age of 15 have 2 years higher education or more, compared with 29.9% in other areas.

In the case of those who have the same qualifications, the rate of unemployment among women at the start of their working life is often higher. One of the main reasons for this are the chosen disciplines. It is rarer for women to opt for specialist subjects which generally lead to better starting careers than in the humanities or service industry.

Unemployment rates show a certain stability amongst men living in inner cities (figures are only 0.3% higher than what they were in 2010 at 19.6%), whereas figures show a rise amongst women (currently 2.7% higher than what they were in 2010 at 20.6%).

In 2013 Maslaha were funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to develop a toolkit that would practically illustrate our approach to tackling social issues affecting disadvantaged communities on an international scale. The idea was for Maslaha to build on its experience of working with disadvantaged communities in the UK and create a toolkit relevant to an international audience.

The 'Rêv'Elles' Programme - Empowering women to choose their own path

Following extensive research and consultation, Maslaha decided to work with Athina Marmorat to develop a project targeting young women in the suburbs. This pilot project targeted young women between the ages of 16 and 20 from disadvantaged communities in Sensitive Urban Zones (ZUS – Zones Urbaines Sensibles) in the Parisian suburbs. Statistics around educational attainment, employment and occupation illustrated that our target group faces striking inequality of opportunity, examined in more detail through our qualitative research. (Read more about this here.)

The aim of the project was to build confidence and raise the aspirations of participants (from a variety of ethnic backgrounds) through educational workshops and by introducing them to local female role models with whom they could identify.

The participating role models were:

Mariam Khattab: Head of recruitment division at Mozaik HR

Bouchra Alioua: Secretary General at the KPMG Foundation

Samira Ama: Doctor

Koumba Diallo: Head of Animation at Herold retirement home

Emira Zaag: CEO of ZA Consulting, a business specialising in site management

The objectives behind the educational workshops included:

Developing knowledge and self-confidence

Overcoming inhibitions and deconstructing prejudice

Raising aspirations

Developing a methodology to build a career plan, including previously unexplored paths

The project also presented us with some interesting challenges: the concept of ‘laïcité’ in France contrasts with how religious and ethnic groups are directly acknowledged and represented in the UK. Attempting to address the needs of a certain group was difficult in a country where projects cannot explicitly target groups based on religious or ethnic identity.

We estimate that about 85% of participants were from a Muslim background (based on those who requested halal food), all were from minority ethnic backgrounds, and many were second-generation immigrants.

These workshops were unique because in reality there are very few projects in Paris targeting the needs of young women from such backgrounds and neighbourhoods, and using innovative practice to do so. One of the more disconcerting things we gathered from talking to the young women was how little they are encouraged or supported by their schools. In some cases they are actively discouraged when they express aspirations. For example, as one of the role models who participated in the project said:

"Some of the girls told me that every day when they go to school there is a poster on the wall that tells them that only a small number of people from the areas they live in will go onto professional careers or university. When they tell the teachers they want to do something or pursue a particular career, the teachers tell them not to bother as they won’t be able to achieve it, that the odds are against them. I am so angry about this."

The immediate feedback from the first set of workshops was overwhelmingly positive, reflecting the life-changing impact on many participants, some highlights included:

“I never got bored, there was an incredible atmosphere"

"The workshops allowed me to explore different types of personality, to see how other people think and understand their reality”

“We discovered things we did not know about ourselves”

“The workshops allowed us to get to know each other better and discover ourselves”

"Frankly the workshops gave great hope and confidence to us."

We are incredibly pleased that following our work in Paris with Athina and the participants in 2013, that Rev’Elles has been developed into an independent organisation. Athina secured funding and support from the KPMG Foundation and United States Embassy to run a second phase of workshops in April 2014.

Following the success of these workshops, Rev’Elles was entered to compete for the ‘Trophees des Associations,’ a national competition organised by the EDF Foundation. We are delighted that they were successful in picking up the coveted ‘Favorite’ award and with it a grant to invest into the sustainability of the organisation.

In the meantime Maslaha continue to support Rev’Elles and touch base with Athina in an advisory capacity – we look forward to seeing where the next year will take them! Keep up with their great work here.

Listing Information

List Image:

Teaser:

The development of Maslaha's toolkit through partnership work in Paris.

The Need

Statistics relating to educational attainment, employment and occupation illustrate that young people from disadvantaged city areas (and in particular the suburbs) face striking inequality of opportunity:

The unemployment levels of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years old in ZUS (Sensitive Urban Areas) are at 40.4%, compared with 21.6% in other areas.

37.1% of college students living in ZUS are at least one year behind at school, compared to 20.7% in other areas.

22.8% of Year 10 students living in ZUS continue with further education and academic subjects, compared to 43.8% in other areas.

Focus on young women in ZUS:

Girls educated in ZUS have less success in the first year of the French GSCE equivalent compared to those from other areas. Following this, in the second year if the majority of girls living in ZUS follow the general curriculum, only 1 in 4 will take professional courses compared to 4 in 10 in other areas.

Only 14.8% of women older than the age of 15 have 2 years higher education or more, compared with 29.9% in other areas.

In the case of those who have the same qualifications, the rate of unemployment among women at the start of their working life is often higher. One of the main reasons for this are the chosen disciplines. It is rarer for women to opt for specialist subjects which generally lead to better starting careers than in the humanities or service industry.

Unemployment rates show a certain stability amongst men living in inner cities (figures are only 0.3% higher than what they were in 2010 at 19.6%), whereas figures show a rise amongst women (currently 2.7% higher than what they were in 2010 at 20.6%).